Power-transmission apparatus.



PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

C. R. KEITH.

POWER TRANSMISSION APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 3, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/TNESSE PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

O. R. KEITH. POWER TRANSMISSION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

S S s N T W wmwo A TTOHNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. KEITH, OF TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF. ON E-HALF TO JOHN WILLIAM MASON, OF TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK.

POWER-TRANSMIfSSION APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. KEITH, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tarrytown, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Power-Transmission Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has in view the provision of an improved power transmission apparatus, more especial y designed for motor vehicles, and in which a driving shaft is adapted to positively drive a driven shaft at more than two different s eeds in one direction, as well as positively drive the driven shaft in the opposite direction. The invention further provides for the operation of the apparatus without undue s ock and for the reduction of noise to a minimum while'the apparatus is in action.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings} forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan of one embodiment of my Invention partly in section and with one side of the casing removed; 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the gear ing for the back drive; Fig. 3 is a section substanti ally on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, showing the controlling lever in neutral position; Fig. 5 is a section throughthe countershaft on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a face view of one of the gears journaled on the driven shaft, and Fig. 7 is a face view of the forward clutch.

The invention in practice, preferably comrises a casing 1 having extended ears 2 for fioltingor otherwise afiixi it to the vehicle body, and of such size and s ape as to neatly contain the transmission mechanism. At the forward end of the casing thehub of a gear 3 is journaled in a box 4,-said hub being extended to the outside of the casing, where it is keyed or otherwise afiixed to a driving shaft 5.

In alinement with the driving shaft 5 a driven shaft 6 passes through the o posite end of the casing and is journaled in e hub of agear 7, the hub of the ear belng also journaled in the casing in a ox 8, the said gear 7 being referably directly inside of the casing. T e driven shaft 6 forward of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed A pril 8. 1907- Serial N 0. 366.171.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

end 10 journaled in the At the opposite side of driving and driven shafts, a counter-shaft 11 is journaled at its opposite ends in boxes 12 carried by the casing. The countef-shaftlll is provided with a gear 16 loosely mountedthereon and of somewhat larger diameter than, and in mesh with the gear 3. A;

limited, relative, rotary movement between the shaft 11 and the dgear 13 is providedby'.

keys 14 fixed to an protruding from the countershaft, each key projecting into a notch 15 formed in the hub of the gear and carrying a-spr-ing 16, which presses the gear in the opposite direction from which it is revolved by the gear i w Fixed to the countershaft 11 at opposite sides of its center, are gears 17 and 18, respectivel in mesh with gears 19 and 20 journale on the driven shaft'6 at opposite sides of the collar 9. The gears '17 and 19 are of substantially the same size; whereas the gears 18 and 20 are of difierent size, operating to give diflerent driving speeds to the driven shaft'from the driving shaft when connected therewith.

Fixed to the countershaft l1, opposite the gear 7 fixed to the driven shaft 6, is a gear 21 in mesh with an intermediate gear 22, the latter being also in mesh with the gear7 and journaled on a stud 23 carried at the rear end of the casing, this disposition of the last-' named gears operating when in driving action, to drive the driven shaft from the driving shaft through the countershaft in a reverse direction and. at a reduced speed from the driving shaft.

The opposed faces of the gears 3 and 19 are constructed with clutch surfaces, with either of which a clutch 24 is adapted to engage. This clutch, as best shown in Fig. 7, 1s splined to the driven shaft 6 by radial keys 25, the openings in the clutch for receiving these keys being of slightly greater width to receive flat springs 26 which .operate to turn theclutch on the shaft in the direction in which the driving shaft 5 is driven "and permit the clutch to have a slight yielding, rotary movement independent'of said shaft. The gears 7 and 20 are likewise provided with clutch surfaces on their opposed faces,- which are adapted to be engaged by a clutch 2 1 slidably keyed to the casing the driving shaft 6 by radialkeys this clutch being in all respects the same as the clutch 24 except that the springs 26 are omitted and no relative rotation between the clutch and the shaft is provided for.

For shifting the clutches 24 and 24 on the driven shaft is provided a controlling lever 27 fixed to a shaft 28 journaled in a bearing 29 carried at one side of the casing 1, an arm 30 being fixed to this shaft within the casin said arm having an enlarged head 31 a apted to engage in recesses formed on the under face of shifting bars 32 and 33, bothof which are slidably mounted in suitguide-ways formedin thecasing, such e-way being provided at both ends of a gui for the bar 33, as shown in Flg. 1.

i "The bar 32, which is somewhat shorter,

carries an arm 34 .at its rear' extremity,- which engages an annular groove in the circumference of the clutch 24-. The bar 33- carries an arm 34* engaging with the annular groove in the rear clutch 24 Both the-bars 32 and 33 are formed with dee V-shaped notches 35 and a somewhat sha ower notch 36 occupying an intermediate position. These notches are designed 'to be enga ed, when the controlling lever is operate to shift the bars, by rojections 37 of like form carried on the un er face of flat s rings 38, a spring being provided for each ar which is rigid y secured at one end, as disclosed 1n Fig. 3. v This particular shape of the notches 35 and projection 37 admit of their automatic disenga ement when the bars are shifted, and also. force the bars and the clutches carried by them, to operative position with a snap;

In Figs. 1 and 4 I have shown a quadrant 39 for guiding the controlling lever, said quadrant having two parallel slots 40 and 41 communicating with each other ,at the center. V'Vhen the controllin lever occupies a neutral position between the slots 40 and '41-, as shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 6 is idle when the drivin shaft 5 is in operation. When the contro 'nglever is passed into the'slot 40 and thrown to the forward end thereof,

the clutch 24 connects the driving shaft directly with the driven shaft throughthe gear 3, and a direct drive of the driven shaft om the driving shaft results. If the controlling lever is thrown to the opposite and rear end of the slot 40, the driven shaft is driven from the driving shaft through the intermeshin ears 3 and 13, the countershaft ll an t e intermeshing gears 17 and 19, resulting in an indirect drive of the driven shaft from the driving shaft at a slower speed. By bring ward end of the slot .41, enga ing the clutch 24 with the gear 20, the driven shaft is driven from the drivin shaft through the intermeshing gears 3 an 13, countershaft 11 and the interme's'hing gears 18 and 20, re-

ingthe controllinglever to the for-' sulting in a still slower, and the slowest, drive of the driven shaft in the forward direction. If the controlling lever' be carried to the rear end of the slot 41, the clutch 24 is engaged with the gear 7, operating to drive the driven shaft from the driving shaft throu h'the gears 3 and 13, the countershaft 11 an the gears 21, 22 and 7, shown in Fig. 2, this last-named drive of the driven shaft being somewhat slower than the-revolution of the driving shaft and in the reverse direction.

In engaging the clutch 24 with the gear 3, the s rings 26 permit a slight rotation of the clutc on the driven shaft and preventthe nipping off of the corners of the clutch as well as. adapting the driven shaft to take up the movement of the driving shaft without undue shock. Thespring 16 acting on the gear- 13 carried by the countershaft performs a like function when the clutch 24 is engaged with the gear 19, or the clutch 24 is engaged with'either the gears 7 or 20.

All of the gears of the apparatus are as shown preferably made" in two sections,

with the teeth of one section arranged in the intervals of the teeth of the other section,

this construction operating to. reduce the noise of the transmission apparatus when in action, to a minimum.

Although the lconstruction 'as shown and hereinbefore described is that of the preferred embodiment of my invention, I, nevertheless, regard the exact construction as immaterlal and consider the invention limitedin scope b the annexed claims only.

Having thus escribed my invention I claim'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a power transmission apparatus, clutches, bars for shifting said clutches, a

controlling lever operable to slide either of.

said bars, and a sprin having a projection rigidly fixed thereto 'rectly engaging the said bars for holding them at the forward and rearward and intermediate positions of their movement.

2. Ina power transmission apparatus, a

driving shaft, a driven-shaft, means for positively, directly and indirectly driving the driven shaft from the drivin shaft, said means com risng clutches sli ably s lined to one of sald shafts, shiftin bars for s ding said clutches, a controlling ever for operating said shifting bars, and springs having projections rigidly fixed thereto and engaging said bars for retaining said clutches in active and inactive positions.

3.. In a power transmission apparatus, a shifting bar, a clutch operated by said bar, and a spring having a V-shaped projection rigidly attached thereto adapted to engage with notches in said bar and retain said clutch inlactive and neutral position.

4. In a power transmission apparatusfila said clutch and its clutch on said shaft in one direction.

5. In a power transmission ap aratus, a casing, a driving shaft, a driven s aft and a counter shaft j ournaled in the casin means cooperating with the counter sha t to indirectly drive the driven shaft from the driving shaft, means for directly driving said driven shaft from the driving shaft, said means including clutches slidably splined on the driven shaft, shifting bars slidably mounted in guide-ways at opposite ends in the spline providing for a slight, yielding relative rotation of. said casing and engagedwith said clutches, and a lever having means slidably and revolubly mounted in said casing for operating each of said shifting bars.

6. In a power transmission apparatus, a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a counter shaft, gears connecting said shafts together, and a key havin a spring arranged at one side thereof for eying one of said gears to its shaft. v o I In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES R. KEITH. Witnesses:

W. W. HoLr, EVERARD B. MARSHALL. 

